“Who do you think’s sending them?” I ask, eyes still on the page.
She exhales. “Leo. Probably. It feels like something he’d do.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t want to make it a thing,” she whispers. “And you hated me, I didn’t think you’d care. It’s just mind games. That’s what he does. He’s been doing it since I came back into town.”
I get up, pacing the room.
“Mind games?” My voice is low. Dangerous. “Olivia, this isn’t some high school prank. This is stalking. It’s a threat.”
“I know.” She stands, watching me. “But I’m not scared anymore.”
I stop and turn. “You’re not?”
Her eyes soften. “Not with you here.”
I walk back to her, slow, like I’m reeling myself in. I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and let my hand trail down her cheek.
“Nothing will ever happen to you again,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t care what it costs me, Olivia. You’re safe. I’ll make damn sure of it.”
She nods, but I can see the tears swimming in her eyes.
I pull her against my chest and hold her tighter than I probably should. The old me, the one before prison, before betrayal, before scars and silence, he would’ve said the words in a heartbeat. Promised her the world and meant every word.
But this me?
I don’t make promises lightly. Not anymore.
So, when I say, “I’ve got you, Olivia,” I mean it with every broken piece of me.
And I’m going to find out who’s behind this even if I have to burn the world down to do it.
She looks up at me, and smiles, her hands moving over my chest, then her body tenses as her fingers move over the scar.
“You can’t think of the scars, you’ll drive yourself crazy.” I lean down to kiss her, but she pulls away.
“But it’s my fault.” Her voice is low, and all I can do is smile.
“I don’t care, I’m not living in the past with you anymore, let’s make the future ours.” She nods softly, and I smile. “And I think we need to start losing the clothes, so we can have some more fun.”
This is our time now, and nothing is ruining it for us.
Thirty
Olivia
It’s been four days.Four painfully slow, endless days, and Hayden hasn’t left my side once.
He’s been sitting beside me in the hospital, every morning, and every night. He brings me coffee, food I barely touch, and mumbles dry sarcastic jokes under his breath just to see me smile. He thinks I don’t notice him watching me, but I do. Every single time.
We go back to my dorm to have dinner and have the best sex of my life. I mean I don’t have anything to compare it to, but God it’s amazing.
I’m pretty sure if I had the energy to go all night, Hayden would, and it makes me feel even more special knowing he feels that way about me.
I’ve read about sex in my books so much, but I never thought it would be as good as that. But I was wrong. So wrong. The way he makes my body feel, the way he touches me, it’s fucking magical and I never want it to stop.
I look over the book I’m reading. I see the wires and machines humming around my dad. The monitors beep steadily.It's the only sound in the room, other than his faint breathing that keeps me hoping.
